Two thousand police officers will be deployed in Athens this weekend to keep order as the Olympic torch makes its way through the Greek capital before its official handover to the Chinese organisers of this summer's Games. Tension remains high after the traditional lighting of the flame at ancient Olympia was disrupted by human rights protesters, including a Tibetan woman covered in red paint.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, where the torch arrives on April 9 and where, according to one American news report, “there is no shortage of outraged groups planning to raise a ruckus”, there is talk of shortening the route to contain the possibility of high-profile dissent. All things considered, this could be a very long 85,000 miles for the Olympic torch.

In Britain, eyes turn anxiously to London, through which the torch is scheduled to pass a week tomorrow and where 2,000 police officers and civilian support staff have been appointed to oversee the flame's 31-mile journey from Wembley to the O2 arena, completing its epic and symbolic passage from somewhere the Rolling Stones have played to somewhere else the Rolling Stones have played. Naturally, concern rises as to whether adequate security measures are in place to ensure a clear and paint-free run for Sir Trevor McDonald (among others) next weekend.

There is a growing fear among protection experts that London has blown its best chance of an incident-free torch relay by pre-publicising the date, time and proposed route, thus ceding the “surprise element” that could have resulted in McDonald being rushed through the streets when potentially disruptive protesters least expected him - and before they had time to get down to B&Q for supplies.

As a spokesperson for a leading UK-based security specialist exclusively told this column yesterday: “Had we been approached in an advisory capacity on this event, we would definitely have advocated a covert operations policy, with the torch lit and ready to go and with Sir Trevor on call over anything up to a 48-hour window, ready to be scrambled at the most propitious opportunity.”

Our expert also criticised the proposed route for the torch: “Nelson's Column, Downing Street, St Paul's Cathedral - these are exactly the kinds of places protesters are expecting the torch to pass. If your priority is to give potential paint-slingers the slip, you need to think much more laterally about how you get the flame across South London.

“We'd be in favour of using a few taxi-driver's rat runs, cutting across some of the less well-known parkland, ducking down some service alleys and going in through, for instance, the back of Marks & Spencer's Simply Food on the Balham High Road.”

The specialist we spoke to was also among a number of protection agencies hotly advocating the use of lookalikes as decoy runners. Under this arrangement, several Sir Trevors, all holding torches, would set off simultaneously in different directions, plausibly causing the opposition to fragment and leaving the real Sir Trevor free to bring home the torch unspattered.

“Confusion is always an advantage in these circumstances,” our security specialist noted. “Our intention would have been to persuade Lenny Henry to revive his side-splitting ‘Sir Trevor McDoughnut' impression, which could have been of valuable service during this potentially difficult logistical operation.”

With time running out and the political resistance to the Beijing Olympics intensifying, celebrity torch-bearers may have to accept that their only option is arming up. This, though, is not felt to be something the Chinese authorities particularly want to see, especially if it involves the torch being ferried Beijing-wards by people in crash helmets carrying baseball bats.

However, it is thought that Kevin Pietersen, the England cricketer, who will be among those joining McDonald in running a leg of the journey, could reasonably bring, in his free hand, a cricket bat, without unduly spoiling the tone. Similarly, Sir Steve Redgrave could carry an oar. And it wouldn't be entirely beyond the bounds of possibility to equip Vanessa-Mae with a specially reinforced violin.

It's more of a problem for McDonald, though, who could, of course, carry the news with him, although the perception is that this would be unlikely to deter an even moderately tenacious barrier-hopper from clinging to the fabled broadcaster's ankles, even if the news in question were rolled up and brought down hard in a repeated chopping motion.

There are, clearly, critical security issues that need to be resolved in the coming week if the London leg of the torch relay isn't to descend into embarrassment and hard-to-remove stains. As our specialist put it: “Human rights are all very well, but there's a time and a place for them and this is the Olympics we're talking about. The torch must get through.”

Guide to keeping goal without calamities

Goalkeeping with David James. The England No1 shows you how. This week: intercepting a dangerous ball played into the penalty area.

“As a goalkeeper, I'm often asked, ‘Dave, what's the best way to close down an advancing attacker arriving in the penalty area at pace and looking to latch on to a dangerous through-ball that has eluded your central defenders?' It's certainly a tricky one, but by no means impossible if you get the basics right.

“The most important thing is to see the oncoming attacker early. The more time you have to come off your line and deal with the problem quickly, the more chance you have of achieving the desired result. So, above all, stay alert.

“Oncoming attacker identified? Then get off your line, as quick as you can. Here's where all the work we did earlier on pace ‘out of the traps' can really pay off.

“Come out fast and come out straight. You're looking to get a visual fix somewhere around the attacker's knees. Then, just before impact, make yourself big. Ideally the attacker should clatter into you at about shoulder level and rip up into the air like a shorn-off cartwheel. Banzai! Loads of satisfaction and the crowds simply love it.

“Don't be deterred if it doesn't happen first time. It takes practice. But, trust me, you'll get there eventually.”

Next week: Going the right way for a penalty.

Unlike Becks, the celebrations will run and run

So, the festivities surrounding David Beckham's 100th England cap are almost over. Yet the celebrations go on. Don't miss a single one of the future Beckham-related milestones with our handy, cut'n'paste Becks Anniversary Planner.

March 14, 2009: Publication of the tenth official autobiography.

August 8, 2011: 25th underpants commercial.

June 5, 2012: 50th authorised television documentary.

September 19, 2012: 100th paparazzi-documented evening out at an LA restaurant with Tom Cruise.

July 4, 2024: Victoria and David's silver wedding anniversary.

November 30, 2008: 5,000th appearance on the cover of Nuts!